While Alex Dunne may have dominated the F2 Feature Race at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Luke Browning’s drive to second place showcased why the British driver is considered one of the most promising talents on the grid.
Starting on the harder prime tire compound in a field split by strategy, Browning’s race was compromised from the start due to clutch issues that have plagued his weekend. Despite this setback, Browning displayed remarkable pace and tire management skills to surge through the field and secure his second podium finish of the season.
A successful strategic decision for Browning’s F2 Bahrain GP
Browning’s alternative strategy proved crucial to his success. While the race leaders started on softs, he opted for the harder compound, allowing him to make progress through the field as the soft-tyre runners began to struggle with degradation.
“I am happy. I’m actually in two minds. I think we did a fantastic job with the strategy that we had. Equally I think we could have come from this weekend with more, but coming into the weekend I thought this was going to be one of our weakest rounds,” Browning reflected after the race.
“We came out of the test in not a great place, and then to adapt that quickly from F1 machinery to F2 Quali, I was elated, and then to really finish it off in the Feature Race, to have that strong pace, especially in the early laps on the Prime, to manage to get past Duerksen and then pull that big gap really secured that second place for me.”
“I think we did a good job with our strategy today and had we gone with the other strategy, I don’t think it would have worked either, because the start that we had, we had some clutch issues throughout the whole weekend, which hampered our start.”
“I think I was 15th going into T1 in the Sprint Race, made my way all the way back up to fifth, and ran into some issues in the final lap, and it was the same here, we dropped back just behind, I think we were second of the Prime runners, then we managed to overtake and show our pace but equally Hitech just did a fantastic job this weekend.”
Tyre management during the F2 Bahrain GP
Once on the soft tyres for his final stint, Browning demonstrated exceptional pace, quickly dispatching Victor Martins and setting his sights on race leader Dunne. While the gap to the leader proved too substantial to overcome, Browning’s tyre management ensured he maintained his second position comfortably.
“I think once I got past Victor, I thought it’s probably not worth pushing too hard, in case I deg and fall off a cliff, because we hadn’t run the Option tyre in this heat, and we expected the shock from the test was basically we had a lot more deg on the Option tyre than expected, and the Prime tyre was a lot stronger towards the end of the stint,” he explained.
“Historically, the Option tyre, even on the last lap, was quicker than the last lap of the Prime whereas it wasn’t really the case this weekend. I think to adapt the way we did, I am super happy, big congratulations to Alex, I think he drove really well today and continued in their dominant form.”
Building momentum from the F1 FP1 session at the Bahrain GP
Browning’s strong result comes on the heels of an impressive outing with Williams F1, which appears to have provided an additional confidence boost.
“It’s nice to feel that James and the Williams Driver Academy are properly behind me, but not only that, I feel that everyone around me at the moment, they have complete faith in my ability and I share that confidence with them.”
“It’s nice to hop in everything and be there, I am just driving confidently at the moment, and I am sure there will be races where we are not quick and there will be races where we are quick.”
“I think if I just do the best that I can at the time that I’ve got it, I think it will be enough by the end and there are some weekends, that’s P2, if that’s all we’ve got, fantastic and another weekend that will be P5. I thought this weekend was going to be a P5 to P8 weekend, but turned out to be a P2, so maybe that rewards us at the end of the season.”
Track characteristics and overtaking
When asked about why the Bahrain GP offered better racing compared to Melbourne’s more processional nature, Browning provided technical insights into the track’s unique surface.
“I think the main thing is the micro roughness is very different,” he explained. “Often in tracks with high macro, you see not only less grip but more deg, so I think just the nature of the tyre it’s a one-up tyre in qualifying, and we see a lot on both tyres.”
“Naturally, how you manage that both in driving and how you set up the car can make a massive difference and, as is nature of Formula 2. Very small things make a huge difference. Getting these things right and honed in can make the difference between being out of the top five or in it. I think it’s probably more down to that than anything else.”
Championship outlook
Looking ahead to what promises to be a fiercely competitive season, Browning welcomes the challenge that lies ahead.
Speaking to Pit Debrief, he declared,“I like close championship fights, and I’m ready to fight this year. I think it’s one of the most competitive Formula Two grids this has ever been.”
“Obviously, last year you had some adaptation in it so you had for example, we turned up in qualifying on medium downforce last year. Now we know after doing a year that high downforce was dominant, and so these are the learnings that you take from last year.”
“It was definitely a little bit more spread than this year, but in classic Formula Two fashion, you’ve got Formula 3 champions, Formula Regional champions, Formula 4 champions. I mean you’ve got a champion from each series, but all sat on the sofa here, so naturally the standard’s high as it should be in Formula Two, and that’s why it’s such a big thing to win it in your rookie year.”
Luke Browning “looking forward” to Jeddah
With the challenging Jeddah Corniche Circuit up next, Browning remains focused yet realistic. As a rookie facing the Saudi Arabian track for the first time, he’s approaching the weekend with the same methodical mindset that served him well in Bahrain.
“I’m looking forward to it. Let’s see, I’ve got no expectation but equally with the same mentality really. Let’s just approach it and see where we are,” he said about the upcoming race. “I think in Formula Two and Formula Three it’s incredibly difficult to be there, and I think, like Alex [Dunne] says, often you can have all the talent in the world but things not go your way.”
“It’s about getting the team around you, creating the right environment so that drivers respect you on the circuit and also executing when it matters and making the most out of the situations that you have.”
“Back here I think we’ll all turn up as rookies having never driven there, having never tested there. Actually, I think maybe a couple of guys tested there in Jeddah, but maybe they missed out on some of the European testing that we did earlier on in the season.”
“It’s gonna be tight as it usually always is,” he concluded. “I think Paul Aron did a good job in qualifying in the race there last year, and we’ll take the learnings and try our best to apply it.”
